Once Akashi Asuka also entered [zone], the showdown between Seiho and Kaijo was essentially over.
It didn't matter who was stronger between Akashi and Kise Ryouta in [zone], but with both of them in that state, there was no way Kise could recover an 18-point deficit in less than four minutes under Akashi's defense.
When the final buzzer sounded…
Kise Ryouta could no longer support his own body. If it hadn't been for Yukio Kasamatsu holding him up, he would have collapsed to the floor.
Even using Perfect Mimicry alone had nearly exhausted Kise's stamina.
Then entering [zone]…
His energy drained like water gushing from an unplugged hot water tank, exponentially faster.
By the last two minutes of the match, Kise was playing purely on willpower, long past any limit of his physical endurance.
BEEP~~~
"Game over!"
"Seiho High VS Kaijo High, the winner, Seiho High!"
"Final score: 108–84."
"Both teams, salute!"
After the game, the teams lined up at midcourt.
"Thank you for the match!"
"Thank you for the match!"
Once the formalities were done, neither team said another word. Each turned and left.
The victors had nothing to say to the defeated.
The defeated had nothing to say to the victors.
Especially after such a grueling battle, both teams had been pushed to their limits. For Seiho, Kaijo had been their toughest opponent of the Winter Cup so far.
·····
"Hurry and pack up. I saw the next court's game isn't over yet. Maybe if we head over now, we can catch the ending!"
Back in the locker room, Tsutomu Iwamura urged his teammates to move faster.
In competitive sports, information is invaluable. In high school tournaments, exposing your strategy too early can lead to defeat against the next opponent.
Their next opponent hadn't been decided yet, but whether it was Seirin or Rakuzan, winning the next round without holding back any cards was impossible.
Under Iwamura's push, the Seiho team quickly changed and left the locker room for the stands.
At this time, the Seirin vs. Rakuzan match had reached its final stage.
92:96
Seirin was still trailing by four points.
But the situation was entirely in Seirin's favor.
Just like in the original story, Seirin had successfully entered the [Team Synergy Zone] while battling a strong team like Rakuzan.
This was a deeper level of [zone].
Within the depths of human potential, there is a door. Push it open, and you unlock more than 80% of your potential.
Entering this door feels like sinking underwater, the deeper you go, the more completely your abilities are unleashed.
At the bottom, human potential reaches 100%…
But at the very bottom lies another door, guarded by a "void gatekeeper." Only with this figure's approval can the second door be opened.
For Aomine Daiki and Kagami Taiga, this gatekeeper was Kuroko Tetsuya.
For Akashi Asuka, it was someone else… or perhaps a group of people.
Who exactly?
Akashi didn't yet know. In his basketball style, this "void gatekeeper" had never appeared before.
Once the team entered [Team Synergy Zone], the entire squad became a single entity.
Like a Gundam combining.
Five players: one forms the head and torso, four form the limbs. Perfect coordination elevates their teamwork to its pinnacle.
In this state, even if Rakuzan's four players had entered Pseudo-Zone, and their captain Akashi Seijuro combined his first and second personas while controlling both Emperor Eye and Perfect-Rhythmed Plays, abilities of bug-level magnitude, they still could not compete with Seirin.
Yes.
Thanks to Akashi Asuka, the small butterfly flapping its wings, the first-and-second-persona fusion, which should have appeared only in the movie version, manifested early in Akashi Seijuro.
After losing to Akashi Asuka in the Interhigh, Akashi Seijuro had returned to his first persona.
In the first persona, he wielded Perfect-Rhythmed Plays, enabling him to maximize his teammates' potential, up to 90%, allowing them to enter Pseudo-Zone.
The drawback: he lost the offensive power of Emperor Eye.
Technically, he could still use a portion of Emperor Eye, but his one-on-one combat was weakened.
It was like redirecting the power used against enemies toward supporting teammates.
In the second persona:
The Interhigh Akashi, cold, ruthless, supreme, wielding Emperor Eye.
Normally, Emperor Eye and Perfect-Rhythmed Plays cannot coexist, they are two distinct personas.
But now, fused into one, they combined into the Full Version: Emperor Eye.
Full Version: Emperor Eye could attack opponents and support teammates, reaching the pinnacle of Generation of Miracles abilities.
With 100% potential unleashed in [zone], even Kise Ryouta in [Perfect Mimicry] Zone might not be Akashi's match.
But he still couldn't match Kagami Taiga… or rather, the Seirin team.
Because [Team Synergy Zone] transcends Generation of Miracles-level power.
If Akashi Seijuro fought Kagami alone, Kagami would lose. But the true power of [Team Synergy Zone] is combining all five players' strength as one.
In other words, Akashi wasn't facing just Kagami, he was facing the entire Seirin team.
Two fists can't defeat four hands.
A simple truth.
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria